In Chapter , "Genes, Freaks, DNA," author Sam Kean draws parallels between the lives of Gregor Mendel and Johannes Friedrich Miescher, who both made scientific discoveries that were truly ahead of their times.

In an essay entitled "Molecular Cut and Paste: The New Generation of Biological Tools," virologist William McEwan envisions a future where viruses are reprogrammed to become the workhorses of science and medicine.